2-7: Admission of International Students – Procedures

Admission of International Students

These procedures describe the steps that citizens of other nations seeking admission to Santa Fe Community College must follow to be considered for admission and if approved, the process to enroll.

Citizens of other nations seeking admission to Santa Fe Community College must comply with the regulations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in addition to meeting the SFCC admission requirements for degree-seeking students National Association of Foreign Student Advisers -Adviser’s Manual (NAFSA AM).

Only a Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) or a Designated School Official (DSO) may approve citizens of other nations seeking admission to the college and sign Form I-20-B and other documents representing the approved school in matters dealing with students with F-1 visas (NAFSA AM).

Only students attending SFCC on an F-1 student visa are classified as international students.

Upon receipt of an inquiry from a foreign student, the PDSO/ DSO acknowledges the student’s request via e-mail and refers the prospective student to the SFCC website for detailed information on applying to SFCC. Prospective students are advised to follow up with the PDSO/DSO with additional questions or concerns.

The prospective student is responsible for submitting to the PDSO/DSO the following documents (refer to current college catalog for additional guidelines for international students including deadline dates):

SFCC International Application Form

Official certifications of any state or national examinations taken

Official school records – School transcripts evaluated and translated to English by an approved agency such as American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) or World Education Services (WES).

Proof of English proficiency submitted via the TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language) for prospective students from countries where a language other than English is the official language, or the SAT or ACT for prospective students from countries where English is the official language (refer to current course catalog for minimal acceptable scores).

A letter from the prospective student, written in English, in which the student states his or her educational goals and describes in detail how the program selected will fulfill his/her goal. Selected program of study must allow for students to meet F-1 regulations for study (refer to SFCC website for eligible programs of study)

A completed financial statement (in U.S. dollars), sent directly to the PDSO/DSO from the financial institution, showing ability to meet financial responsibilities for two years while studying at SFCC (refer to current course catalog for minimum amount required)

Admission status will be determined once the above requirements have been met.

If admitted, the PDSO/ DSO provides the student with a Form I-20.

Once the prospective student has obtained his/her F-1 student visa from the appropriate agency, the student then reports to the SFCC PDSO/ DSO to complete his/her final admission process.

The PDSO/DSO and the student determine the student’s schedule of classes for the semester. International students must abide by federal enrollment and registration regulations, including being enrolled as a full time student, to maintain F-1 status.

The PDSO/DSO will review federal regulations regarding maintenance of F-1 student status. Students are responsible to knowing and abiding by federal regulations in marinating F-1 status.